Indicator for railways.



No. 647,224. Patented Apr. I0, 1900. H. H. FOBDE.

INDICATOR FUR BAILWAYS.

(Application filed June 9, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet II.

INVENTOH A TTOHNEY Patented Apr. l0, I900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

B. H. FORDE. INDICATOR F08 RAILWAYS.

(Apphcatmn filed June 9 1899 (No Model.)

IN VENTOH ATTORNEY m 0 m. w r n A d 8 t n B t a P S Y A W E D A R 0 M .F R .0 ET. A l D m 4 2 w 7 4. 6 0 N 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(no Model.) (Application fllud June 9, 1899.)

QWzQZX wa-mw nv VE/VTOH I ENE) A TTO TATES PATENT Prion.

RICHARD H. FORDE, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

INDICATOR FOR RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 647,224, dated April 10, 1900.

Application filed June 9,1899. SerialNo. 719,920. (Nomodel-l T0 (tZZ whom it may; concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. Fonon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Myinvention relates to an improved device known as an indicator for railways,and has for its object to provide an apparatus whereby passengers are informed of the arrival of the car at the various streets and stations along its route. I attain this object by the device illustrated in the accompanying d rawings, in which- Figure 1 is a general front view of the ap paratus. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is an interior front View of the working parts. Fig. 4 is a side View of the working parts. Fig. 5 is a detail view. Fig. 6 is a view of contactbrushes in conduit used in conj unction with this apparatus. Fig. 7 is a top view of said brushes. Fig. 8 is a side view of the contactbrushes employed on an ordinary railroad. Fig. 9 isa top view of the contact-piece in the ground, and Fig. 10 is a section through track and contact-piece.

In the practice of my invention I attach a strip A of flexible material upon rollers B, B, B and B The said rollers are revolubly mounted on the plates 0 and G. Fastened upon the axle of the rollers 13 and B are the gear-wheels b and b, the said gear-wheels b and b engaging with large gear-wheels b and Z7 The large gear-wheels b and b are revolubly mounted on the plate 0. Attached to the axle carrying the large gear-wheels are the ratchet-wheels b and b Pivotally mounted at cl upon the plate 0 is an arm D, which has formed upon it an armature-block d and carries upon its outer end d an arm or rod E. The said arm or rod E is formed with a ratchet-tooth 6 upon its lower end, said ratchet-tooth engaging in the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 19 A flat spring e, securely fastened at 6 engages against the beveled end a" of the arm E and is employed which is adapted to engage against the ratchet wheel b A flat spring h, securely mounted at 71/2, engages against the beveled end h of the arm H and is adapted to normally keep the tooth h of the arm H against the ratchet-wheel l) when the lower magnet F is in use. The said magnet F is securely mounted between the plates 0 and O and is employed by means of an electric current to attract the armatureblock g.

The ends of the arms E and H are provided with secondary arms E and H.

Pivotally mounted upon the plate 0 at f and f are the locking-pieces J and J, which are employed to hold back the arms E and H when said arms are not in use. The lockingpieces J and J are provided with the arms j and j.

The plates 0 and O are suitably held together by means of rods K, and the plate 0 is securely held by the rods K.

The flexible material A is properly marked to indicate the various streets, avenues, or stations, the said markings being equally spaced.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings I show four mark ings-viz., First street, Second street, Third street, and Fourth street. These markings are to extend throughout the length of the roll A.

The device as far as described is inclosed within a casing L, which is securely fastened in some convenient position in the car. The said casing L is provided with an opening Z, through which the markings on sheet A are seen.v Directly above the opening I on the said case L are suitable markings, which indicate that the name seen through the opening I is the next street or-station along the route of the car. In the drawings the marking reads: Next street is, and directly below in the opening l is the word Fourth, which indicates that the next stopping-place of the car is Fourth street.

My device is operated by means of an electric current obtained by suitable means from an overhead trolley or underground conduit, as the case may be. Extending from the bottom of the car downwardly is a drop P. This drop has fastened upon it two brushes p and p. These brushes are suitably connected with the circuit by means of wire conductors and normally keep the circuit open. Placed at indicated distances along the track are the metal blocks 0. These blocks act to close the circuit by forming a contact with the two brushes p and p when the car passes over the said block 0, thereby causing the current to flow and operate the device.

Another method which may be employed in the underground system is that shown in Figs. 6 and 7. A drop M projects downwardly from the electric car and carries the brushes that take up the electricity for driving the motors in the car. Fastened to this said drop M in any convenient position are the brushes m and m. These brushes engage against the upright pins m and of, which are fastened directly to the electric conductors n and n.

The operation of my device is as follows: When the car is in motion and it is desired to indicate the streetin the direction in which the car is going, the apparatus is properly set. In the drawings I show the roll or sheet A working in the direction indicated by the arrow A. The lower part of the apparatus carrying the magnet F is prevented from operating by means of the switches R and R, which,are set to operate upon the magnet F. The arm H is held back by means of the locking-block J. At various points along the route of the car are placed the aforesaid upright bars m and m The brushes m and m coming in contact with the said uprights cause the electric current to pass through the wires 3 and s to the switches R and R. Thence it passes through the wires tand t to the magnet F and attracts the armatureblock 01, thereby pulling up the arm E and causing the ratchet-wheel b to turn, which in turn revolves the gear-wheels b and b and moves up the sheet A one marking and indicates to the passengers in the car the next stopping-place. When the end of the route is reached, the apparatus is reversed, as follows: The arm H is released, and the arm E is fastened back by means of the lock J. The switches R and R are moved down to the contact-points t and t thereby allowing the current to pass through the wires and t and operate upon the magnet F, which reverses the direction of the sheet A and indicates the stations in their reversed order.

The turning knobs B and B are fastened to the axles of the rollers 13 and B and extend through the case L. Said knobs B and B are employed to set the device at any indicated street.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, in the herein-described device, of an indicatingroll Aprovided with suitable markings representing streets and stations, the magnets F and F, pawls E and H, operated by said magnets, gear-wheels l) b b and b in turn operated by said pawls and adapted to turn said indicating-roll A, contact-brushes p and p for closing the circuit and actuating said magnets, locking-detents J and J adapted to lock the pawls II or E out of operation, thearmsj andj attached to the said locking-detent, and the arms H and E attached to the said pawls H RICHARD H. FORDE.

Witnesses SETH B. ROBINSON, BELLE MoOoMB. 

